Today in History - Aug. 23

The Associated Press

Published 9:00 pm, Wednesday, August 21, 2002

Today is Friday, Aug. 23, the 235th day of 2002. There are 130 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 23, 1927, Italian-born anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were executed in Boston for the murders of two men during a 1920 robbery. Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis issued a proclamation in 1977 saying they had been unfairly convicted.

On this date:

In 1754, France's King Louis XVI was born at Versailles.

In 1914, Japan declared war on Germany in World War I.

In 1926, silent film star Rudolph Valentino died in New York at age 31.

In 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression treaty.

In 1944, Romanian prime minister Ion Antonescu was dismissed by King Michael, paving the way for Romania to abandon the Axis in favor of the Allies.

In 1989, in a case that inflamed racial tensions in New York City, Yusuf Hawkins, a 16-year-old black youth, was shot dead after he and his friends were confronted by white youths in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn.

Ten years ago: Hurricane Andrew slammed into the Bahamas with 120-mph winds. James A. Baker III bowed out as Secretary of State to become White House chief of staff.

Five years ago: In his weekly radio address, President Clinton said he would ask Congress to renew his authority for speedy negotiation of trade agreements, saying the "fast track" approach was needed to make U.S. companies more competitive worldwide.

One year ago: Democratic Rep. Gary Condit of California denied any involvement in the disappearance of intern Chandra Levy; his comments came during an interview with Connie Chung on ABC. Thierry Devaux, a Frenchman using a motor-driven parachute, was arrested after becoming snagged on the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. NATO soldiers streamed into Macedonia as part of a mission to help end six months of ethnic hostilities by collecting and destroying rebel weapons.